The present invention concerns a method for generating a yarn composed of at least two yarn components, wherein the yarn components in a last processing stage upstream from a collecting stage jointly are compacted into a yarn, and an apparatus for generating a yarn composed of at least two yarn components.
From the European Patent Application No. 0434 601 A1, a method and an apparatus are known for producing a non-twined yarn composed of at least two bundles of fibrils arranged constantly with respect to each other, in which arrangement the bundles of fibrils, called yarn components in the context of this description, each are treated separately in a processing stage each before being drawn, and after drawing are textured jointly. According to common knowledge, the textured yarn subsequently is entangled furthermore in such a manner that the bulked character of the yarn is adapted into a yarn suitable for further processing. In this arrangement, the processing stage upstream from the drawing stage consists of an entangling stage, or a false-twisting stage, in which the individual fibrils of the yarn components are compacted whereby it is rendered possible to keep the distances between the individual yarn components as small as possible without inter-entangling the outermost fibrils of the individual yarn components, which can result in disturbances or at least in an intermingling of the yarn components.
From a further European Patent document EP 485 871B1, a method and an apparatus are known for generating a texturized multicoloured yarn in which arrangement the individual colours are supplied separately from an extruder beam each and cooled, and subsequently are separately guided via an oiling device each and subsequently are guided separately through entangling nozzles each. In this arrangement, the entangling process is effected in such a manner that the entanglement is dissolved in the subsequent drawing process at least to a large extent. The entanglement is aimed at compacting the individual bundles of fibrils, also called yarn components, in such a manner that the individual bundles of fibrils are mutually intermingled in such a manner that the colour separation in the final yarn is disturbed. The drawn bundles of fibrils subsequently are directly textured jointly, cooled and jointly are entangled in an entangling device and subsequently are wound up in a package. The last mentioned entanglement is a collective entanglement, i.e. an interconnection of the three part-threads in such a manner that an actually coherent yarn is generated which can be wound up.
From the European Patent Application with the Publication No. EP .0784109 A2, it can be seen that part-threads of different types, e.g. differently coloured or differently stainable part-threads, are supplied either from extrusion beams or from thread packages and before being drawn first are oiled each and subsequently are pre-compacted, and after the drawing stage are textured either jointly in a common texturizing device, or individually each in a texturizing device. Downstream from the texturizing device, the plug emerging from the texturizing device is cooled, which cooling can be effected, at least partially, already within the texturizing device towards the exit end of the texturizing device.
After cooling of the plug, the part-threads each in an after-compacting stage preferentially are entangled and subsequently are jointly entangled again, i.e. combined, in a collective entanglement stage in such a manner that a yarn is formed from the part-threads which can be wound up.
In this arrangement various types of texturing devices as well as devices for generating a corresponding yarn are shown and described to which the present application refers to, and EP 0784109 A2 therefore is considered as an integral part of the present Patent Application and is thus incorporated herein by reference.
It is the goal of the present invention to guide the individual yarn components and to treat these yarn components distinctly and pre-determinably to the stage of common compacting in order to influence the yarn character generated after the common compacting stage. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
According to the present invention, the goals are achieved in a method in which at least one yarn component passes through at least one processing stage, known as such, before this yarn component passes jointly with the further treated or untreated yarn component or components through a last treatment stage and subsequently are collected as a yarn in the collecting stage, whereas in the apparatus at least two treating stages are provided which can be used as desired and in which at least one compacting stage and one collecting stage for a yarn consisting of two yarn components are provided.
In this arrangement, the yarn components can be freshly spun and drawn yarn components or can be drawn yarn components taken from a package. The yarn components also can have undergone already a pre-compacting process in the form of an entanglement or of a false twist process.
Furthermore, the yarn components can present further and differing characteristics as to the type and/or the structure and/or the colour of the yarn components. In this context, the type concerns differences in linear density (tex), or in the number of fibrils in the yarn components, or in the polymer type, or in the stainability, or in the cross-section of the fibrils, or in the additives in the fibrils and the structure as to changes, or differences respectively, in their crystalline or molecular structure.
Within the scope of the present invention, there still is the possibility of combining untreated and treated yarn components in the common compacting stage in order to influence the yarn character.
Furthermore, an untreated yarn component also can be understood to be a staple fibre yarn spun from man-made or from natural fibres, which upstream from the collecting stage, i.e. upstream from the winding up stage of the finished yarn, is compacted jointly with the other yarn components.
Treatment of the individual yarn component can consist of any texturing process known as such, any entangling process known as such, any false twist process known as such, or any other known method, which in the yarn component effects a type of change in structure and/or form of the individual fibrils in the yarn component.
As said yarn components, except the staple fibre yarn components mentioned, are already drawn, the individual yarn components in an immediately following inventive treatment, also called xe2x80x9con linexe2x80x9d treatment, can be, e.g., texturized each separately and after the texturizing process can be jointly compacted, preferentially entangled in such a manner that a yarn ready to be wound up is generated.
In this arrangement also either texturizing nozzles of the same type can be supplied with different gas pressures or at different temperatures or with different gas quantities per unit time, or additionally there is the possibility to choose for at least one yarn component a different texturizing nozzle which also can be operated in the manner described above.
There also is the possibility to maintain different thread tensions, to be described in the following with reference to the Figures, in the individual yarn components upstream from and/or in the common texturizing process in order to achieve variations in the yarn character after the compacting stage.
Furthermore, guidance, to be described in the following with reference to the Figures, of the individual yarn components in the compacting stage can be kept different in order to keep the influence of the compacting process onto the individual yarn components different in such a manner that an influence on the yarn after the compacting process is obtained.
In a further alternative solution, at least one treated yarn component is combined in the common compacting stage with at least one untreated yarn component in order to influence the yarn character resulting after the compacting stage.
In principle it is to be noticed that the yarn components are kept separate until they reach the collective compacting stage in order to obtain as many possible influences on the finished yarn as possible; in order to either simplify the method or to further differentiate the character, or the structure respectively, of the finished yarn, and within the method yarn components can be guided jointly through a treating stage.
The present invention thus is neither limited to the treating means mentioned nor to the compacting means mentioned, as any treating or compacting means desired can be used in the application of the inventive method.
The present invention thus is not restricted to the elements shown and described.